Two recipients named for initial Mason Ruble Memorial Scholarship
We heard yesterday from Wyatt Harman, who is the bass player for the Harman & Ruble Band in St Louis, MO. His good friend and original partner, Mason Ruble, was killed in a tragic, deer-related auto accident in October of last year. Only 20 years old at the time, Mason was widely loved and admired, […]
Jake Burrows to Nick Chandler & Delivered
Pinecastle recording artists Nick Chandler & Delivered have announced a personnel change. North Carolina banjo picker Jake Burrows has come onboard to tour with Nick. Jake is a bluegrass veteran, having worked previously with Lonesome Will Mullins, The Kody Norris Show, and The Kevin Prater Band. He says he welcomes the chance to get back […]
Tray Wellington releases Blue Collared Dog and His Green Eyed Friend
Mountain Home Music has a new single from North Carolina banjoist Tray Wellington, an instrumental he wrote called Blue Collared Dog and His Green Eyed Friend. Tray gets to show off his prodigious chops on this newgrassy banjo tune, with support from Drew Matulich on guitar, Josiah Nelson on mandolin and fiddle, and Katelynn Bohn on […]
Béla Fleck at Carnegie Hall
Bela Fleck performs Rhapsody in Blue at Carnegie Hall (5/4/24) – photo © Jen Hughes Béla Fleck’s Rhythm, Raga, and Rhapsody, May 4 at Carnegie Hall included performances from Bruce Hornsby, Zakir Hussein, Rhapsody in Blue, and My Bluegrass Heart. What a fabulous show. I’ll remember this one for a long time. Everyone there will. […]
Biography of Dan Levenson published
We are accustomed to writing about new books written by Dan Levenson, the popular old time banjo player and fiddler, whose many instructional and tune collection books have been published over the years. Dan is also an in-demand performer, who has released nearly a dozen albums under his name, and is featured as a guest […]
Holiday Religion from Andy Lowe
Ask a banjo player what they like to play most, and chances are they’ll tell you that playing behind a vocalist in a band is every bit as enjoyable, if not more, than bearing down on a hard-hitting banjo tune. Which is why most banjo records these days aren’t all instrumental. Such is the case […]
Jim Mills passes
Jim Mills, one of the most celebrated banjo players of his generation, and a noted vintage instrument trader, has died of a heart attack at his home in Durham, NC on May 3. He was 57 years of age. Though most bluegrass lovers remember Jim for his 14 years with Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, […]
Bayla Davis on From The Top
We posted several times about young North Carolina banjo player Bayla Davis, particularly about her being featured on From The Top, a program that typically highlights teen classical musicians on the rise. Her recent segment was only the second time they had focused on a traditional music artist, and we thought that was worthy of […]
The Adventures of Willo the Dwarf
Slovak banjoist Richard Ciferský, founder of innovative music accessory company Banjolit and banjo man with Bill Faster in the Slovak Republic, has released a unique and interesting project called The Adventures of Willo the Dwarf, which combines an audio CD with new, original bluegrass songs, with a children’s book he has written. Sized like a […]
My Memories of John Hartford by Bob Carlin
University Press of Mississippi has announced the release of a new book by old time banjo master Bob Carlin, entitled My Memories of John Hartford. It’s a memoir of the friendship between Carlin and the late John Hartford, one of the most influential bluegrass or old time artists of the 20th century. A fiddler, banjo […]
